I don’t know whether this is a relevant way to think about it, but I find it endlessly fascinating. If the endosymbiotic theory is right, I wonder whether some of that physical logic is still reflected in how mitochondria and cells deal with boundaries today.
As I tend to think of metabolism as directed flow across compartments, so I keep wondering: what makes it more likely for a mitochondrion to leave a cell than to remain, be recycled or degraded there?
And once outside, how do quantity, structural integrity and function differ across arterial blood, the capillary/interstitial space, venous blood and lymph, and eventually urine, sweat or mucus? After all, the outflow of one tissue becomes part of the inflow to another.
I’d also be curious how that picture changes during inflammation or wound healing, chronic metabolic disease, or intense exercise in a "healthy young" person.
The compartments in metabolism and biology serve useful purposes to increase local concentrations, speed up reactions, and minimize unwanted interactions, but evidence suggests that they aren't tight boundaries like the textbook suggests.
This is so interesting and I love that science is always evolving showing new updated information. Wow future science could track mitochondria to see where it goes in the body.. that’s pretty amazing!
Are we assuming mitochondria don't know what they are doing?
If these can exist and function outside of the cell, maybe it is a feature, not a flaw. We might be watching them do what they do, or are doing. The cell may have only ever been a container without them having to be defined or limited by it.
For me the more interesting question is whether looking at this from a cell centeric model was ever describing the relationship accurately, or only describing the limit of where we thought to look.
I keep wondering whether a mitochondrion outside the cell might simply be in a metabolically confusing environment. What keeps it organized once it leaves its cellular context?
I wonder if, like any person would in a new environment, they bring their own organizing principle with them. The cell provided structure but maybe the organizing capacity was always theirs, and had a lot less to do with the cell than we were previously able to distinguish.
This is such a wonderful time to be a biologist. The advances in our understanding of mitochondria, including your leadership, are really exciting and important. Thank you.
I don’t know whether this is a relevant way to think about it, but I find it endlessly fascinating. If the endosymbiotic theory is right, I wonder whether some of that physical logic is still reflected in how mitochondria and cells deal with boundaries today.
As I tend to think of metabolism as directed flow across compartments, so I keep wondering: what makes it more likely for a mitochondrion to leave a cell than to remain, be recycled or degraded there?
And once outside, how do quantity, structural integrity and function differ across arterial blood, the capillary/interstitial space, venous blood and lymph, and eventually urine, sweat or mucus? After all, the outflow of one tissue becomes part of the inflow to another.
I’d also be curious how that picture changes during inflammation or wound healing, chronic metabolic disease, or intense exercise in a "healthy young" person.
The compartments in metabolism and biology serve useful purposes to increase local concentrations, speed up reactions, and minimize unwanted interactions, but evidence suggests that they aren't tight boundaries like the textbook suggests.
Good questions.
This is so interesting and I love that science is always evolving showing new updated information. Wow future science could track mitochondria to see where it goes in the body.. that’s pretty amazing!
Are we assuming mitochondria don't know what they are doing?
If these can exist and function outside of the cell, maybe it is a feature, not a flaw. We might be watching them do what they do, or are doing. The cell may have only ever been a container without them having to be defined or limited by it.
For me the more interesting question is whether looking at this from a cell centeric model was ever describing the relationship accurately, or only describing the limit of where we thought to look.
I keep wondering whether a mitochondrion outside the cell might simply be in a metabolically confusing environment. What keeps it organized once it leaves its cellular context?
I wonder if, like any person would in a new environment, they bring their own organizing principle with them. The cell provided structure but maybe the organizing capacity was always theirs, and had a lot less to do with the cell than we were previously able to distinguish.
This is such a wonderful time to be a biologist. The advances in our understanding of mitochondria, including your leadership, are really exciting and important. Thank you.
The extraordinary role of mitochondria that must have essential input for good health.
The relational boundary extends. Fascinating!